Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Yarn Along and family reading time

For this week's Yarn Along, I have a completely different project than the one I've been working on for the last several weeks. I needed a break so I started on Finn's Chain Maille sweater which is coming along quickly. I hope to have more to show of it soon. I also began a small project for knitting in the car on our trip this past weekend. I finished the first orange toddler sock, in a larger size than the previous ones I knit from this pattern, and started on the second. I also began reading Pox, An American History, which is about the American smallpox epidemic in the early 1900s and compulsory vaccination. Very fascinating read so far.


Someone mentioned to me recently that they were surprised that I still read aloud to our older kids, which made me take stock and put some thought into why we continue a treasured family pastime now that 3 of our 4 children read fluently. We are frequently so busy during the week, why do we continually make time for this particular activity.


There are a few different reasons that family reading time is important to us. But I should first mention that our family reading time takes on many faces. I nightly read to some combination of the kids, but depending on the book, it's all 4 kids, just the 3 older kids, or if the boys are at their moms, then just Elizabeth and/or Finn. We frequently have 2-3 books going at a time. Right now I'm reading Homer Price to all of the kids, although we're nearly finished, and on the nights that the boys are gone, I'm reading Anne of Green Gables to Elizabeth. Finn and I are currently reading The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk at his afternoon naptime. My children read to each other often as well. We often find one of the older children reading aloud to Finn at various times during the day, and Elizabeth and Philip often pull together sleeping bags on her floor on weekends so she can read aloud to him. Reading together is clearly a way that we connect to one another throughout the week.


One of the biggest reasons I read to my children every day is to have this quiet connection time with them. I want them to see every day that I'm taking time out to read to them and that reading and spending time with them are both important to me. I also want them to be able to look back on the memories of us reading together fondly. Even if they don't remember all the books we've read together, I hope they remember what it felt like to spend time together in books every day.


Another important reason I choose to read aloud to my kids is that I want them to read books of many different topics and a variety of styles. Most kids don't choose classics or variety of genres on their own. I've never had one of the kids complain about any of the books we've read aloud. We've read everything from an ancient copy of a Clara Barton biography to A Christmas Carol to The Bobbsey Twins and The Wind in the Willows. They may never find a series they love until I read the first book aloud to them. They might find a new author whose work resonates with them or a new genre they never would have picked on their own.


I also choose to read aloud to my kids hoping to improve their vocabulary and push them outside of their current reading levels. There are few children's authors today who speak to kids using a robust vocabulary the way authors did in the past. (Kate DiCamillo is an exception who comes to mind.) I hope their horizons will be broadened just a bit with the choices I make and the sharing of these books together.


Lastly, what an enjoyable and relaxing (usually) way to end the day by reading together as a family or in a small group. With some scary statistics that my husband just read aloud to me ringing in my ears, I hope my family, and my children individually, read for a long time to come.


12 comments:

  1. Fun stuff. I remember feeling frustrated with being read to after probably age 7, just because it took so much longer to find out what happenened in the book. I hope my kids will let me read to them longer than that-- reading chapter books to them is one of my favorite things to do.

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  2. How interesting that you you are reading "Pox, An American History". I was considering it since I just finished "The American Plague - The Untold Story of Yellow Fever. The Epidemic That Shaped Our History". It was certainly different from my usual fiction reading but very fascinating. Let me know what you think about your book. I may decide to check it out from the library.

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  3. I LOVE that you also read every day as we do. Zach expressed to me as he was learning how to read that he was worried that learning meant no more mom and dad reading to him. I assured him that was not the case. You have probably seen this, but I will pass the link on anyhow, it's such a fabulous touching story on the topic. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/21/fashion/21GenB.html

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  4. I have been reading aloud to my children for 28 years now and hope to for at least 28 more. All of my children, not matter the age, have loved to hear whatever book is read and when they are all together they always comment about something that was read in the past. Keep Reading.
    PS- cute sock.

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  5. We love to read aloud as a family. Our kids are both very fluent readers and our impatient son will sometimes be reading one of his own books during a family read time! I agree that it is truly something special. We do more in the winter for sure when we are snuggled next to the woodstove, but we also bring books to read aloud camping and on long roadtrips which we take quite often.

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  6. I also read to my children every day, and they can all read on their own (with the exception of the two year old). Even my teenagers listen in sometimes. We have been reading through the Little House books, and I am always looking up to find the three teenagers and my husband gathered around as well!

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  7. Our family reading time is in the evening with the Papa; having recently finished the Eagle of the Ninth (we're studying ancient Rome), we started in on a fun read by N.D. Wilson - 100 Cupboards. We are strong believers in reading aloud. Listening is a lost art. Blessings, ~Lisa

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  8. We love reading together as a family. It doesn't matter what book it is, if one child requests a book read soon I will have a couch full of children listening in. I love it!

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  9. There is something very comforting to have someone read aloud to you. At least, that's my opinion.

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  10. i love that you do this and as a matter of fact, it is one of the reasons that draws me to your blog. my children are similar ages to yours (6, 8, 10) so i love when you mention your read alouds, etc. so strange for me to come here today and see this post bc i wanted to comment here to tell you that after your mention last week we are reading homer price now and i wanted to ask ou for more read aloud suggestions for this span of ages!!! thank you! :)

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  11. @Michelle, some of the favorites for that age group have been The Little House series, The Tale of Despereaux, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, The Wind In The Willows, The Secret Garden (illustrated by Inga Moore is the best!), The Family Under The Bridge, Treasure Island, Peter Pan (& Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens), Mary Poppins. I have so many more on my list "to read" that I don't know if we'll ever get to them all. Occasionally, the kids have a specific request too. I read The Mysterious Benedict Society a while back because Paulie requested, and Elizabeth wants to read Phantom Tollbooth after we're done with Homer Price. :)

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  12. joy! thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :) i will let you know what they like best! def checking these out!

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I love to hear what you think!